Key-carrying device



June 22, 1943. w. JONES 2,322,644

KEY-CARRYING DEVI CE Filed Oct. 29, 1941 FE Z 1759.8.

' 1 Isa/2989 3 WaZEer 1. Jones:

Patented June 22, 1943 KEY- CARRYING DEVICE Walter 1. Jones, Belmont,Mass, assignor to United-Carr Fastener Corporation, Cambridge, Mass, acorporation of Massachusetts Application October 29, 1941, Serial No.416,985

'3 Claims.

My invention aims to provide improvements in quick removablekey-carrying devices, such as are commonly called key cases and whichinclude an outer casing of leather or the like within which is locatedone or more elements for carrying lock keys and any other suitabledevices.

Reference is hereby made to my divisional application Serial No.459,511, filed September 24, 1942.

In the drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of my invention:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational View of a conventional key case with aportion thereof broken away to show the key-supporting means inelevation;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged View showing a portion of the supporting plate, asection of one of the keyholder supporting members and a key-holdersqueezed to a position for assembly with or disassembly from thekey-holder supporting member;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of my improved key-holder in normalposition;

Fig. 4 is an edge view of the key-holder shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a plan View of the blank (with a portion broken away) fromwhich the key-holder is formed;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1 showingthe relationof the parts when assembled;

' Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the key-holder supportingmember per se; and

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the blank from which the key-holder supportingmember is made.

My invention relates to improvements in that type of key containerdevice which is so constructed that the key-holder together with anykey, keys or other devices carried thereby may be removed from the partthat supports the keyholder. Applicant is aware of the fact that suchdevices are not broadly new and, as a matter of fact, his presentinvention is an improvement over that shown and described in hiscopending application, Serial No. 328,728, filed April 9, 1940.

Referring to the specific form of my invention, I have shown a standardtype of key case cover I of the folded over flap construction heldtogether by a snap fastener 2 of any suitable construction. The case Imay be of leather, cloth or any suitable material. Within the case andpreferably at the upper portion thereof I have attached a plate member 3as by means of rivets 4 substantially as indicated in Fig. 1. This platemember 3 may be provided with any number of apertures 5 preferablysurrounded by slight bosses 6, these bosses extending toward the frontface of the plate, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

As in my co-pending application referred to above, I have assembled withthe plate 3 one or more key holder supporting members 8 which extendthrough the apertures 5 and which swivel therein. To these swivelmembers I have attached key-carrying members 9 by detachable meansforming part of the key-carrying members so that they may be readilyengaged with and disengaged from the swivel members, as will bedescribed in greater detail. Therefore, the broad combination ofelements covered by the present application is the same as in myco-pending application referred to above, but in the present instancethe details of construction of some of the parts have been found toprovide an improved construction.

The key holder supporting member 8, illustrated in my presentapplication, is formed from a strip-like blank, as indicated in Fig. 8,and has a mid portion I0 which, when the blank is formed, provides aloop I0, as indicated in Fig. '7. The blank also has foot portions lI-IIat opposite ends which, when folded into the proper relation, form abase I I, as also indicated in Fig. '7. Thus, the base I I is ofsubstantially rectangular shape presenting an area of such dimensionsthat it cannot be pulled or twisted through an aperture 5 in the plate 3when assembled therewith. It will be noted that I have shownelliptical-shaped apertures 5 in the plate 3 which also aid inpreventing the feet of the base II from pulling or twisting through theapertures 5. With the construction shown in my co-pending application ithas been found that in some instances the base portion of the supportingmember for the keycarrying member could be worked through the roundaperture in the plate due to the construction of the base of the swiveland the round aper: ture in the plate.

The key-carrying member illustrated in my present application is thesame as illustrated and described in my co-pending application exceptthat the hook portions, which engage with the loop II) of the swivel,are constructed and arranged in a slightly different manner. The keyholders 9 are provided with key-carrying loops I2 and their ends areformed to provide hooks I3 and I I. The hook I3 is forked, except thatthe extreme end is tied together by a crossbar I5 (Figs. 4, 5, and 6)while the hook I4 is in the form of a single tongue-like member whichmay enter the slot I6 formed in the hook I3. The

hook It may be curved around so as to leave only sufficient space topermit it to enter into the loop Ill while the hook 13 cannot be curvedaround quite so far due to the connected end i5. 'Ihis connected endserves a very important function inasmuch as it prevents the loop lilfrom working out from between the prongs of the hook l3, as has beenfound possible with my previous construction. It has been found fromexperience that when a complete fork is formed on the hook l3 constantshaking of the parts of the device will, in some instances, so work theparts relative to each other that a loop wedges in between one of theforked portions of the hook l3 and the hook l4. Thereafter, it maygradually work its way out from between the hooks and the key-carryingmember and keys fall from engagement with the swivel member. It is toovercome this possibility that I have provided the connected end portionIS on the hook I3 thereby to prevent any such accidental disengagementof one part from the other.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated the strip from which the key-carryingmember is formed into a device shaped as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

To assemble the parts of my device the operations are substantially thesame as more fully described in my co-pending application and,therefore, I will now only briefly state that it is merely necessary toenter the loop it into the aperture 5 in the plate 3 with the loop, Etpositioned the long way of the aperture. Since the diameter of the loo-pis slightly more than the length of the aperture it is necessary topress one of the parts relative to the other to assemble them. Thus, bya mere snapping action these parts be easily and quickly assembled. Thekey-carrying members may be easily and quickly assembled with thekey-carrying loops of the supporting means or swivel by merely squeezingthe loop portions i2, as indicated in Fig. 2, thus causing the hookportions to spread awa from each other and permit them to be enteredinto the loop 55 as clearly shown in 2. As the pressure is released fromthe loop portion E2 the hook portions will resume their normal positionsand they will be securely attached to the swivels,

indicated in Fig. 1.

Assembly of a key or keys "with the key-carrying member i3 isaccomplished in exactly the same manner as more fully described in myco-pending application, and it only necessary to spread the hook membersit and it apart in an suitable manner and insert the narrower hockmember I l through a hole in the key to let it slide down intoengagement with the loop portion i2. Disassembly of the key may bebrought about very easily by merely holding the loop portion 42 betweenthe fingers of one hand and pull ng the key with the fingers of theother hand directly away from the loop thereby causing the key portionsto spread and become disengaged from the key.

My improved construction is particularly desirable because it overcomesany possibility of accidental disassembly of any parts of the device.Even though the improvements may appear to be slight, they,nevertheless, are particularly important as has been found from actualuse and they are of such scope as to warrant the filing of thisapplication in anticipation of further protection to cover the inventivescope of the additional features.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of myinvention, I do not wish to be limited thereby because the scope of myinvention is best defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a key-holding device, a key-carrying member and a supporting meansto which said key-carrying member is removably attached, saidkey-carryng member having a key-carrying loop portion, a pair of opposedhook portions connected tc said loop, and detachably en aging saidsupporting means, and one of said hooks being fork-shaped, while theother has a single end fitting into the fork, and the ends of theforkshaped hook being connected to prevent the hooks from slipping outof engagement from the supporting means.

2. In a key-holding device, a key-carrying member and a supporting meansto which said key-carrying member is removably attached, saidkey-carrying member having a key-carrying loop portion, a pair ofopposed hook portions connected to said loop, and detachably engagingsaid supporting means, and one of said hooks being fork-shaped, whilethe other has a single end fitting into the fork, and the ends of thefork-shaped hook being connected to prevent the hooks from slipping outof engagement from the supporting means, crossed means connecting saidhooks with said loop portion, and said hooks being so shaped andarranged with respect to each other that the single ended hock may passinto and out of position with respect to the forked hook when the loopportion is squeezed or released.

3.111 a key-holding device, a key-carrying member and a supporting meansto which said key-carrying member is removably attached, saidkey-carrying member having a key-carrying loop portion, a pair ofopposed hook portions conected to said loop,and detachably engaging saidsupporting means, and one of said hooks being fork-shaped, while theother has a single end tting into the fork, and the ends of theforkshaped hook being connected to prevent the hooks from slipping outof engagement from the supporting means, the connection of said forkedhook being at the end of the hook and being shaped to form a taperingend on the hook for the purpose described.

WALTER I. JONES.

